Exophobia news & patch notes

Hey everyone! How was that Halloween? Lot's of scary Zarkonians? Hope you noticed the game has been discounted for it so you could get some alien jumpscares in! The discount has been extended for the Metroidvania Fusion Festival, organized by our friends at Human Qube. So, if you love metroidvanias, check out the event! You'll find lots of cool games there. All kinds of it. And if you didn't get Exophobia yet, hope the 45% discount is enticing :P Time to get lost in metroidvania maps Best regards Zarc {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/36143584/a6e1c15b56e6222c21b0db0b2528a7ea29c35e23.png

Hey everyone! Sale season is still not over! Steam Autumn sale is here. Enjoy this extended time for a 40% discount :) Have fun Zarc {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/36143584/a6e1c15b56e6222c21b0db0b2528a7ea29c35e23.png

Exophobia is 40% during BoomStock, a celebration of BOOMER SHOOTER games! If that's your thing, check out all other games on the sale here: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/Boomstock2025 And if you didn't play the game already, it's going to become bigger with the recently announced content update: https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1189220/view/547873227591909537 So, no excuses, be sure to grab it! This trailer was part of the BoomStock 2025 video showcase, be sure to check it here: Sale ends on September 27th. See you later! Zarc {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/36143584/a6e1c15b56e6222c21b0db0b2528a7ea29c35e23.png

Just announced during BoomStock, a new content update that will bring a whole new adventure! Set in the world of Exophobia, play a new short adventure, set prior to the events in the main game. Play as the I.S.A ship scientist, as you explore a cave deep in the alien planet. Fight new enemies and face new challenges - can you make it out alive? Check out the clip here: It's still very early in development, but it has been fun revisiting the game world :) This short adventure will bring fresh mechanics, so if you want MORE Exophobia, don't miss this update! I had the idea for this update ever since mid-development of the main game. I was not sure if I would include it as a separate demo, content update or paid DLC. Now that I got a new boost of energy to work on games again, I decided to include it as a free update to thank all the players that supported Exophobia. This is for you! Stay tuned! Zarc {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/36143584/a6e1c15b56e6222c21b0db0b2528a7ea29c35e23.png

Hey everyone, Some of you may have noticed that I released the Steam community items! You can now earn trading cards, badges, backgrounds, emoticon and animated stickers from the world of Exophobia! I think they turned out pretty cool. I'm not familiar with the Steam meta for items, but hope you have a good time with them. I got some cards retroactively, so I think it happened to all of you too! On a sad note, I took some time to post this announcement after hitting the release button on the anniversary, because I've been feeling a bit down lately due to recent news. A friend of mine, Filipe Duarte Pina has passed away due to cancer, at the very young age of 46. This came to me as a shock as he kept his condition secret. He was a legend in the portuguese game dev and comic book scene. He started out as a personal hero when I was just starting in game dev, as he was a pioneer having launched the first portuguese Playstation game as one of his highest achievements, and much more. I eventually got the opportunity to work for him at Nerd Monkeys, on the sequel for his dear Case and Bot point and click game that he produced. We became more than co-workers, but friends, as his charming personality and permanent good mood made everyone feel connected to him one way or another. My last interaction with him was a christmas dinner where I gave him a phyiscal copy of Exophobia. In a way, he was my game development mentor, and I hope he was proud of what I achieved after learning so much from him. He will be missed. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/36143584/1fd15e14768800d5505a93d314365b3cd03c7b24.png A pixel depiction of Filipe and me made by him for the Express Killer His legacy will live on, on his work and the people dear to him. If you're curious about some of his work, here is a post-mortem of the Case and Bot games in english: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sq4t7bG9Gsk Best, Zarc {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/36143584/a6e1c15b56e6222c21b0db0b2528a7ea29c35e23.png

Hey everyone, seemed like there was a general crash on load games that would make the game unplayable. Hope it's fixed now, let me know.

Oops, so I managed to break the anniversary version. That's what you get to be a solo dev not testing after adding new content to the game... Sorry all for the confusion, specially during the sale. New files should now be starting at the beginning. Thanks for the quick testing everyone!

Hey everyone! Long time no see...

I've been super busy with work (yeah, got a full time job doing something else ːsteammockingː), so there hasn't been much Exophobia updating.

I wish at this time I would have added way more stuff to the game. Nevertheless, I took this special date to update the game with the promised Lovecraftian update and run a 30% discount for the week!

Also, health pills are now cake for today lol On this day last year, Exophobia was released. Thanks so much to everyone who played it and all the support it has been getting even to this day! Couldn't be more proud of what I accomplished and grateful for how things went. This update contains spoilers, so I will be discussing it below:

The Lovecraftian update consists on the addition of a second phase to one boss.

This last boss fight is unlocked by getting the "true" ending (returning all gems to the emergency hatch) You fight the Alien King a top the emergency pod returning to Earth.

I always felt this fight didn't make justice to a climatic finale.

Right now this fight gets a much needed second phase and balancing on the first phase to make it fair for people who haven't got the boss rush achievement yet!

I'm sure this small update will please the hardcore players! (you can also get back just to eat some cake) Thanks for making this year very special. I have some ideas on more content to add to the game, but still not sure everything will be possible. I want to do this as a thank you to all the players as I don't have the exact means to deliver them, but I will try! Best, Zarc {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/36143584/a6e1c15b56e6222c21b0db0b2528a7ea29c35e23.png

Hey everyone! Fulqrum Publishing was kind enough to invite Exophobia to take part in this year's Lovecraftian Days celebration! Exophobia will be part of a selection of games featuring out of this world horrors, and what are Zarkonians if not "cuter" versions of Cthulhu? :P (minus the wings) During the duration of the event Exophobia will be 25% off, so take this opportunity to experience it for the first time! Exophobia might be action and puzzle focused, but it's mood and scares are not to be overlooked! Also, I will have something great to announce before the end of the week related to this sale, so stay tuned! Best regards Zarc {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/36143584/a6e1c15b56e6222c21b0db0b2528a7ea29c35e23.png

Hey everyone! Sorry for being a bit inactive lately, been focusing on a lot of other stuff (maybe news soon!) So, Steam finally approved Exophobia to play on Steam deck, so you now see the green symbol on the handheld. The best part was that I had to do nothing! The game has always been working well on Steam Deck, but I guess Steam goes at each game individually and approving it. So yeah, have fun with Exophobia on the go!! Zarc {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/36143584/a6e1c15b56e6222c21b0db0b2528a7ea29c35e23.png

Hey everyone! If you're still on the fence to buy Exophobia, it is now at 25% off for the first time! Also it is already Steam Deck approved if you like to play on handlheld ;) Hope you have fun Zarc {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/36143584/a6e1c15b56e6222c21b0db0b2528a7ea29c35e23.png

Hey! First time posting since the new year! Hope you are all doing well and happy with how the year is going so far. For me it has been progressing at light speed, and excited with the potential of great things coming up this year. I'm just taking the time to announce that Exophobia got nominated at Quirino Awards, for the category of Best Iberoamerican Videogame Animation! I'm going to be honest, I wasn't expecting my pixel art to have a chance at competing with the other games in the same category. I submitted it just because, well, there usually isn't much portuguese representation in stuff like this, and it is an IBERIAN award show after all. But as a big fan of the animation medium, as in cartoons, shorts and yes, videogames, this gives me a lot of motivation to push my art to new places :) even if I never felt like a full artist myself. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/36143584/24c5c121007378bfaa14227a0460dbb6dc305ec7.jpg So here's some positive news about the game, with a tease of something more to come this year. I haven't been focusing too much on it yet (I'm taking my time with sorting all other aspects of my life first) but I'm slowly getting more and more excited to eventually update this game with new content! So see you soon, and keep working on those new years resolutions! Best, Zarc {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/36143584/a6e1c15b56e6222c21b0db0b2528a7ea29c35e23.png

Hey! Just a reminder that the Steam Winter Sale just started and it's another opportunity to grab the game with a 20% discount. Perfect game for to keep you warm during festivities! Also, last patch of the year everyone! Just added japanese localization by Hiroshi Ashida, a fan of the game that offered to help! If you would also like to translate the game to your language let me know. I had to tweak some code to make it able to see japanese characters, but it looks awesome! Only thing is that you can't switch the font type with japanese language selected, unless you know legible and cool 'sci-fi' and 'pixel' japanese fonts I can use. Also, explore the 3rd floor during Christmas eve and day for a little festive surprise :) Happy holidays and see you next year! Zarc {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/36143584/a6e1c15b56e6222c21b0db0b2528a7ea29c35e23.png

Last patch of the year everyone! Japanese localization by Hiroshi Ashida, a fan of the game that offered to help! If you would also like to translate the game to your language let me know! Also, explore the 3rd floor during Christmas eve and day for a little festive surprise :)

Hey everyone! Along with Autumn Sale, there came the Steam Game Awards! If you enjoyed the game and want to support it, don't forget to vote for Exophobia at the Steam Awards! https://store.steampowered.com/steamawards/nominations Here are the categories I think it fits the game (always up to you of course!)

• Game of the Year Award (gotta aim high!)
• Best Game on Steam Deck Award (it works great there!)
• Outstanding Visual Style Award (my art is divisive, but still...)
• Best Game You Suck At Award (admit it, it fits)
• Best Soundtrack Award (really, check it out)

Very thankful for all your votes and support! Thank you Zarc {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/36143584/a6e1c15b56e6222c21b0db0b2528a7ea29c35e23.png

Hey everyone! Just a reminder that the Steam Autumn Sale just started and it's another opportunity to grab the game with a 20% discount. Perfect game for those cozy rainy afternoons :v ALSO, don't forget to vote for Exophobia at the Steam Awards that just started! https://store.steampowered.com/steamawards/nominations Categories I think fit:

• Game of the Year Award (gotta aim high!)
• Best Game on Steam Deck Award (it works great there!)
• Outstanding Visual Style Award (my art is divisive, but still...)
• Best Game You Suck At Award (admit it, it fits)
• Best Soundtrack Award (really, check it out)

Very thankful for all your votes! Have fun, Zarc {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/36143584/a6e1c15b56e6222c21b0db0b2528a7ea29c35e23.png

Hey there! You might have noticed the Exophobia page has a DevGAMM banner. That's right, I forgot to make an announcement again and the event ends tomorrow lol Last week I had the pleasure of participating in DevGAMM Lisbon, a B2B game development event right in my country! And it was a blast! Saw old and new friends, attended great talks, and even won a "Person of the Year award" at Spotlight Awards by Game Dev Lisbon (a local organisation for game devs here in Lisbon). It's great to see the recognition of my work by my colleagues and how the community is growing strong together! The highlight of the event for me was meeting the legend John Romero! We had a little chat, he signed a poster and I gave him a physical copy of Exophobia for Switch (he prefered it over the PS5 one). What a cool guy and a dream come true! {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/36143584/8c4846d1ce80dfb7e54ddf19e66dda533894b493.png And that's it, hope to have more news before the end of the year. Checkout all the other European games at the DevGAMM Steam page. Best, Zarc {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/36143584/a6e1c15b56e6222c21b0db0b2528a7ea29c35e23.png

Hey, long time no see! I've been quite busy with my other job, and because of that and other life stuff, I've been offline a lot. But I want to bring you some good news when I can! You might have noticed, but the game has been with 20% discount for the last days, because of Indie X, an indie game celebration event created here in Portugal. Exophobia is not part of this year's selection, but as a past participant it has been featured in the Indie X page! This is your chance to play Exophobia until the end of the year, as no deeper discounts are planned until then! Also take a look at all the games featured in Indie X page, with focus on the portuguese game selection (we have few games, but they are cool!) See you soon, Zarc {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/36143584/a6e1c15b56e6222c21b0db0b2528a7ea29c35e23.png

Hey everyone! I just got back from Barcelona where I personally attended IndieDevDay 2024, a really cool gathering of indie game developers showcasing their work, talks and more! I should have done this before the event, but I've been so tired and busy with life that it has been impossible. (maybe you should all buy Exophobia so I can afford a community manager? ;) ) Anyway, you might have noticed the IndieDevDay banner, which led to the Steam event with a lot of cool Spanish indie games (and some portuguese ones sneaking in, thanks to Gamiberica and APVP, who brought us there). Check it out! The event was really cool and the vibes of creativity and companionship were flowing like crazy, I really enjoyed it! If you can travel to Barcelona next year, I wouldn't miss it. See you all soon (maybe next time I'll let you know about the events on time) Zarc {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/36143584/a6e1c15b56e6222c21b0db0b2528a7ea29c35e23.png

Hey everyone! Hope you had a good Boomstock week! It was an excellent first sale for Exophobia, with a lot of new players discovering the game thanks to Civvie11's video. Check it out, it is really fun! You may have noticed, but a bundle appeared on the page. Sorry for the late info on this, both games were on sale during Boomstock! You can now save 15% by buying Beyond Sunset along with Exophobia! Two colorful retro FPS combined for double the action and the fun! Thanks to the nice team at Movie Games SA for the collaboration. Get it here! https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/45368/Exophobia_x_Beyond_Sunset/ See you soon, Zarc {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/36143584/a6e1c15b56e6222c21b0db0b2528a7ea29c35e23.png

New patch to fix the previous one that had a save file issue:

• Better way to calculate play time - this might mess with your save files time, but it now fixes some problems where it was recording wrong. It also fixes displaying "0" in the save file on the menu.
• Disabled drone in some boss fights where it can actually slow you down.
• Infinite mode crash fix (I hope!)
• All Our Base achievement fixed (I hope!)
• Other small overall tweaks to values.
• CD #41 now visible

Hey! How is everyone? This week, Exophobia will be part of Boomstock 2024, the first edition of a sale event with tons of action games! To celebrate, Exophobia has its first sale at 20% off until the 23rd! If you haven't tried it now is the time. Oh and it starts on my birthday (16th), so help me celebrate me entering the 30's by trying out my game ːsteammockingː Have fun! Zarc {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/36143584/a6e1c15b56e6222c21b0db0b2528a7ea29c35e23.png

Exophobia is showcasing at Gamescom 2024 in Cologne, Germany! Visit Hall 10.2 Stand F042 ( right after the top entrance of the indie hall ) to get a first look at the Exophobia physical versions. You can even try to win one! Exophobia is also part of the Gamescom digital showcase! See you there Zarc {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/36143584/a6e1c15b56e6222c21b0db0b2528a7ea29c35e23.png

This was a quick one, but I didn't want to leave you without a patch for much longer while I was away at Gamescom!

• Infinite Mode Crash - let me know if you can get after level 3-3. I tested it but couldn't replicate the bug
• Out of bounds bugs fixed in floor 4
• Final achievement unlocks even if you get the good ending first, so you don't have to play the whole game again for the bad ending

Again, report everything you find in the Steam forums or Discord! Thanks a lot!

Fixed sprites flickering bug (I think!!) Giving up mouse acceleration fixes for now, so please disable in windows settings while I find a solution to counter effect it. Thanks!!

Created a bug with flickering objects. Should be fixed now.

New try at disabling mouse acceleration. Fixed reported crashes in discussions.

Sorry for taking so long to update! Tried to include a bunch of stuff:

• Mouse acceleration fix - Let me know if it feels any different
• Timers are now based on difficulty - Relax players now can take their time in these challenges
• One way doors appear in the map - Dots that don't blink are one way doors. You can now plan your route with these in mind.
• Achievement fixes - Some achievements were blocked due to bugs (On the Edge, Alien Slayer, Speedrunner, etc...), I think they are working now. Let me know if you still can't get them!
• Localization changes
• Out of bound errors fixed

Let me know in the Steam forums if your problem was fixed. Have fun!

Hotfix for the latest fix #2 Messed up the latest fix for the other fix. It's been a though week!